COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER.. 07411348 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1139279 Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Unaudited independently examined financial statements 31 July 2024 Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Financial statements Year ended 31 July 2024 Page Trustees, annual report Independent examiner's report to the trustees 16 Statement of financial activities (including income and expenditure account) 17 Balance sheet 18 statement of cash flows 19 Notes lo the financial statements 20 Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report Year ended 31 July 2024 The trustees, who are also Ihe directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 July 2024. The financi81 stalements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity's governing documenl. the Charities Act 2011 and Companies Act 2006 and Accounting and Reporting by Charilie5-. Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordancè with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published in October 2019. A letter from the chair of trustees l am happy lo present my Chairfs report for Blue Smile for the year ended 31 July 2024. Blue Smile conlinues to offer vital support for primary age children at a time when the mental heallh of children and young people is a matter of rising concern. Our aim is to provide an accessible service to address the needs of as many children as possible. We aim to ensure that what we do is effective and robustly evid8nce-based and continue to be al the forefront of best practice in the field. This year we have invested more in psychoeducational groups for children. this has yielded promising results and useful data which is enablin9 US to refine our offer. Groupwork runs alongside our one-to-one work, which remains a tried and tested core service for schools across Cambridgeshire. We continue to invest in our 'whole school, philosophy, supporting the whole school community In a variety of ways, tailored lo need, in our nine Partner Schools. We have continued to hold at the same rate Ihe financial contribution schools make towards our services, given pressures on school budgets. As our costs have risen with inflation and for other reasons, this has meant that we have increased the charitable subsidy through fundraised income. We have also offered some flexibility e.g. offering a smaller Partner School service in one school for a smaller contribution and temporarily increasing the charitable contribulion in exceptional circumstsnces for one school. We have continued to gradually expand Olfrr reach this year. We have provided one-to-one therapy for 266 childreri, as compared to 255 last year and 232 the year before, and we have supported 158 children through psychoeducational groups, as compared to 153 and 59 respectively last year and the year before that. Blue Smile's charitable objectives focus particulady on those children facing disadvantage. This year 520/. of the children we worked with were eli9ible for free school meals and 49 % were on the school Special Educational Needs Register. We continue to focus on schools and children who most need our help and whose families may nol have the means to access help elsewhere. This year we have adjusted our model to follow the evidence about the number of sessions which yields best results for children. We now offer one-to-one work on the basis of 20 weekly sessions, though this can be flexed if necessary to reflect Ihe needs of an individual child. We are commilled lo continuing to build and refine our evaluation and evidence base. This year we worked with 9 Partner Schools and 28 other schools. W8 hav8 made good use of our now embedded cloud-based system for holding and managing data to ensure data is accurate and up to date, that any safeguarding issues can be fully and securely recorded and reviewed and that we are evaluating and reviewing all the services we provide as we go along. We adopted a new Strategy in the 2023124 year as our previous Stralegy came to a c105e in 2023. Our current Strategy focuses on four strategic aims= Deliver and Grow. Data and Impacl.. Our People and Our Organisalion. Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees, annual report (corttinu8d) Year ended 31 July 2024 Clinical quality and effecliveness, and best safeguarding practice, remain at the heart of what we do. These issues are regularly on the agenda for Board meetings as well as the focus of meetings of the Clinical and Ethics Group, which reports into 8oard. Day to day, clinical and safeguarding issues are regularly reviewed and discussed by the Director and Clinical Services Manager. Safeguarding was the core theme of our Blue Smile Day which all staff, therapists, volunteers and Trustees are strongly encouraged to attend. and the Day involved some excellent training and talks for the whole team on different aspects of safeguarding. l am graleful both to Carrie-Ann Black, our lead Safeguarding Trustee till Jan 2024, and lo Angela McKeown, who ably stepped up lo fi51 this role until a new Safeguarding Trustee, Karen Glisson, joined the Board in th8 24125 year. We are extremely grateful to all those individuals. companies, community groups, trusts and foundations who have generously supported our work this year. I want to particularly thank our wonderfLJI Friends of Blue Smile, who remain tireless in their support, and lo pay special tribute to the late Dr Hassan Shakir- Khalil and his wife Anna who left us a very generous legacy this year. We are extremely grateful to Dr and Mrs Shakir-Khalil's family for supporting us lo tell others about this legacy and about the lasting impact il will have for Blue Smile and in the lives of the children we support. Naomi Mallick- Chair of the Board of Trustees A letter from the Charity Director We began 23124 with a review our strategy and plan, to ensure that we are fit for purpose for the next three years. Our mission to Iransform the menlal health and life chances of children across Cambridgeshire is underpinned by our four strategic aims-. To reach more children wilh the right support at the right tim8, by delivering and growing an excellent mental health Service ' To enhance understanding of children's mental health and practice, by focusing on data and evidence, to support collaboration and innovation ' To build a diverse and inclusive community of staff, therapists, trainee therapists and volunteers, who are empowered lo support children and young people ' To strenglhen our organisational services, in order to have impact now and in the future Throughout the year, we have focused on delivering excellent services both one-toryone arts-based therapy and psychoeducational groupwork. We have worked in 37 Cambridgeshire schools and supported over 420 children. Nine Partner Schools received a holistic package of support whilst, al other schools, we delivered one-to-one therapy. groupwork. or teacher mentoring, depending on need. In total, we supported 266 children via one-to-one thèrapy. While mental health challenges can happen to any child, those from disadvantaged backgrounds are at much greater risk and face more barriers to access support. Children with special educational needs or disabilities are also more likely lo experience anxiely, depression or low self-esteem than their peers. Of the children we supported last year. 52 /0 were eligible for Pupil Premium. indicating economic disadvantage (national average= 24Q/ol and 49 /D of children on the Special Educational Needs register (national average: 14Q/o). The average age when starting therapy was 8 years, showing our commilmenl to early intervention. Many children we support have been through highly stressful or traurnatic experfences in their young lives or "adverse childhood experiences" {ACEs)- Those most reported were parental separation, domestic abuse, family mental i1Sness and bereavement. 5910 children accessing Blue Smile therapy were facing more than one adverse childhood experlence {ACE}, whilst 180/0 had experienced four or more ACES. Outcomes for children remain consistently positive, with 90Yo of children. 870/0 of parents and 90/0 of teachers reporting children had improved on their identified goa15 because of Blue Smile's support. Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report (¢onllnu•d) Year ended 31 July 2024 Blue Smile also collects data on the wider impact of our work, Including children's willingness to engage in school life. For children who initially scored low la score 5 or less oul of 10), teachers reported 72 % showed increased willingness lo engage following therapy. We continued to focus on expanding our provision of early intervention groupwork to reach more children. We were able lo offer 24 groups, across five different themes. supporting over 150 children. This included the successful delivery of a pilot program "Worry Warriors" to support children at primary school experiencing anxiety. Children attending this group showed decreased anxiety and an increase in coping skills. Blue Smile look key decisions during 23124 that will enable us to scale up our service, reach more children, and keeping waiting times down. We adopted a 20-week model of therapy, which our clinical data shows is the optimum time lo ensure that a child can make good progress on their goals. allowing us to provide long-term support to more children. We increased therapist5 pay significantly, lo better reflect the skills, qualifications and experience we require 2nd address recruitment and retention challenges. We also launched Charitylog, a clinical record management system, that will allow us to manage clinical data safely and efficiently, enabling dats-driven decision making and clear, real-time understanding of clinical need, lo that we can mainlain the highest possible quality of support for children. Looking forward to 2025, Blue Smile will mark 15 years since its foundation. During that timè, over 3000 children have been able to enjoy happier childhoods and build brighter futures thanks lo speciallsl mental health support by Blue Smile therapists in Cambridgeshire schools. This birthday year provides an occasion to celebrate what has been achieved and thank people who have played a significant role in Blue Smile'5 development, but it will also be an irnportant opportunity to highlight the continued and growing need for children's mental health services and galvanise support for the coming years. With NHS figures showing that 1 in 5 children is currently experiencing significant mental health difficulties lup from 1 in 10 when we started). sadly Blue Smile's work is needed more than ever. Anne Kent-Taylor- Charity Director Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report (continued) Year ended 31 July 2024 Reference and administrative details Registered charity name Blue Smile Project Charlty reglstratlon number 1139279 Company registration number 07411348 Principal office and registered 47-51 Norfolk Street offieè Cambridge CB12LD The trustees The trustees who seNed during the year and at the date of approval were as follows.. Naomi Mallick (Chairl Christopher O'connor (Treasurer) Nicholas Froy Angela McKeown Sarah Nolas¢o Carrie-Ann Black (Resigned 1510112024> Hannah Buxton (Resigned 11109120241 The Patron Professor Sir Simon Baron-cohen Charity Director Anne Kent-Taylor Independent examiner L Thurslon FCCA Lovewell Blake LLP Chartered accountants First Floor Suite 2 Hillsidè Business Park Bury St Edrnunds IP32 7EA Bankers The Cothoperative Bank Pl PO Box 250. Skelmersdale WN8 6WT The Charity Bank Limited Fosse House 182 High Street Tonbridge TN9 1BE Soll¢ltors Mills & Reeve LLP Botanic House 100 Hills Road Cambridge CB2 1PH Webslte w.bluesmile.org.uk Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report fcontinued) Year ended 31 July 2024 Objectlves and actlvilies Objectives: Blue Smile's charitable objectives as set out in Ihe Memorandum and Articles of Association are.. For the benefit of the public, to enhance the mental health of, in particular but not exclusively, disadvantaged children and young people, in particular in Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas, through counselling, SLlPPOrt and therapeutic use of the arts., and For the benefit of the public, to support schools and other educational instilulions, in particular in Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas, in addressing the mental health needs of, in particular but not exclusively, disadvantaged children and young people appropriately. Vlsion: A world where happier children have brighter futures. Mission: To transform the mental health and life chances of children across Cambridgeshlre. Publlc benefit statement: The Trustees have had due regard to Ihe guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. The charity offers subsidised services to schools and works hard lo ensure that the contribution it asks schools to make is fair and proportionate in the contexl of our aim to reach as many beneficiaries as possible, with a focus on Ihose who face the most disadvantage. Of the children refeTred to the one-to-one service in the reporting year 49 % are on the Special Educational Needs Register las compared to a 14.1 /0 national average), 22 /0 are perfomiing below national curriculum levels in all three of reading, writing and maths and 53 % are eligible for Pupil Premium {as compared to the national average of 25.9L/I.). 300/0 are both on the SEN Register and eligible for Pupil Premium and 59 % of the children referred were identified as having experienced more than one Adverse Childhood Experiences. The Trustees confirm that they hav8 complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2011. Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report (¢ontintséd) Year ended 31 July 2024 Achievement5 and perfonr*an¢e Providing a clinical service in Partner Schools Blue Smile provides arts-based therapy and mentoring in Partner Schools in Cambriiige to children aged 3- 13. A Blue Smile team, led by our School Clinical Lead for that school, goes into each Partner School on the school's 'Blue Smile Day, each week in term time.Partner Schools also act as our training and development hubs, providing clinical placements for trainee therapists. We provide intensive one-to-one, long-term therapy (generally weekly in term-time for 20 weeks) for 12-16 children per week in each Partner School. In addition, we provide support for the whole school in the form of an offer tailored to each school including assemblies. psychoeducational groups for children, advice for parents, and formal and informal support for school staff. Blue Smile offers a 'whole family, and 'whole school, approach in our Partner Schools, responsive to feedback and information from our referrals data. Where children need SUPPDrt, it is regu18rly the case that parents and carers may also need support. whether with their own mental health or other issues. We engage with parents and carers through parent meetings, which are parl of our model. We work with schools and where appropriate other agencies to ensure broader family needs are addressed. We also work to support teaching and oth8r staff, providing support tailored to need. In 2023124 Blue Smile operated a Partner School service in Arbury Primary School, The Grove Primary School. Histon and Impington Brook Primary School, Orchard Park Community Primary School, The Galfrid School, Shirley Community Primary School. St Andrew's C of E Primary School in Soham, Pendragon Community Primary School in Papworth Everard. and Monkfield Park Primary School in Cambourne. Provldlng clin5cal servlces In other schools Blue Smile provides a flexible outreach $eNice to help children in any school in Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas. This enables schools who may not want to commit to the Partner School model lo ask Blue Smile to work with indlvidual or small numbers of children who need support. The outreach service also offers a 'menu of services, from which schi)ols can choose to support children with one-to-one therapy, provide psychoeducalional support through group work, or provide fomial teacher mentoring. We have provided our outreach service in 14 schools where we offe￿d one-to-one therapy, 6 schools where we offered psychoeducational groups, 5 schools where we offered both one-to-one and groupwork, and 3 schools where we offered formal teacher mentoring. One-to-one provision Over211, Blue Smile provided one-to-one therapy for 266 chlldren over 3,930 sessions as compared to 255 hildren over 4,624 sessions in 202213. This consisted of 2,831 sessions for 193 children in our Partner Schoo15, and 1,099 sessions to 73 children in other schools. We have adapted our model Ihis year for both Partner Schools and other schools in that our one-to-one offer now consists of a package of 20 sessions for each child. We have made this change as our evaluation shows Ihal mora than 20 sessions do not improvè outcomes for children., we are keen to ensure our approach is robustly evidence based and thal we can support as many children as possible within the resources we have. The 20-session model can be flexed up or down as required as we recognise that each child is individual, and our service is tailored to each child's needs. Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report f¢ontinuedJ Year ended 31 July 2024 Additional services Blue Smile has continued lo offer a 'whole family, and 'whole school, approach in response to feedbaok and nformation from our referrals data. Where children need support it is regularly the case that parents and carers may also need support, whether with their own mental health or other iSSLfes. While Blue Smile's offer is focused on children we continue to engage with parents and carers by including parent meelings in our model and we seek to work with schools and where appropriate other agencies to ensure broader famlly needs are addressed. We continue to offer additional services through our Blue Smile 'Menu of Services, available to all schools. We have delivered: 24 psychoeducational groups to 158 children on topics such as Managing Big Feelings and, for children in Year 6, Moving on Up. We have also developed and rolled out a new group to help children address anxiety, called Worry Warriors. 27.5 hours of fom)al mentoring to staff in 3 schools (alongside the informal support and mentoring provided as part of the service lo our Partner Schools). W8 hav8 also deliverad several talks to external groups as part of our commitment to supporting the wider community. These included talks for sludent counsellors at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education and "lunch and leam" events for our corporate supporters, including Rxcelerate. Our staff also participated in an interview for World Mental Health Day 2023 on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk Maintaining clinical standards and supporting professional development Supporting the professional development of our staff, practitioners, Irainees and volunteers remains priority for Blue Smile, as is our broader contribution to the development of the child mental health workforce in our region. Across our clinical services, we worked with a total of 62 practitioners in 2023124 who delivered work in schools. These included volunteer mentots. trainee therapists on clinical placement, and qualified therapists. We delivered or hosted 6 training sessions for a total of 174 attendees, which included mental health practitioners from and beyond Blue Smile. trainees, and other members of the community interested in menlal health work. As always, our trainin9 was offered free of Charge lo Blue Smile practitioners. 95.5/0 of attendees agreed or slrongly agreed that the training enhanced Iheir skills, knowledge or understanding, and 91.7 % of attendees agreed or strongly agreed Ihat the tra ining was relevanl to their role. The sessions covered areas such as safeguarding, supporting children wilh ADHD, th8 narrative arc. an inlroduction to dramatherapy, and working with hard-to-reach children. We again brought the whole Blue Smile leam together, including staff. studènts and self-employed therapists along with Trustees, for a Blue Smile Day on a Saturday in Seplember 2023. The day involved a range of practical training sessions delivered by senior slaff and the Safeguarding Trustee, with a focus on Safeguarding as wèll as affording an opportunity for p8ople to network and spend some time together. We continued our Student Bursary scheme this year. awarding a bursary of £1000 each to Masters students doing a placement with Blue Smile. to support them to complete their training as Child and Adolescenl Psycholherapists. The bursaries are designed lo particularly support those who may face challenges in completing their professional training. All the charity's practitioners received regular ¢linical supervision at an appropriate level and had regular management reviews to monitor progress and provide support. Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report (continued) Year ended 31 July 2024 The charity has comprehensive policies and procedures in place and a full set of Practice Standards, lo which practitioners sign up annually. Safer recruiting method5 are used for all persons working with children and they receive a full induction and regular supervision. We regularly review and update our safeguarding policy and practice and ensure that for everyone involved in tha charity safeguarding is always the priority and always front of mind. Carrie-Ann Black, Head of Nurslng for Research and Quality at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, remained our Lead Safeguarding Trustee lill her resignation from the Board in January 2024. Angela McKeown slepped in as Interim Lead Safeguarding Trustee., we have recruited a new Lead Safeguarding Trustee, Karen Glisson. in the 24125 year. Karen has extensive safeguarding experience, and we have been pleased to welcome herlo the Board. The Clinical, Ethics and Safeguarding Group, chaired by Carrie-Ann and then Angela, and comprising internal and external members, considers safeguarding requirements and ethical issues and practice slandards. A Clinical Panel, comprising a Clinical Supervisor. the Clinical Services Manager and the Lead Trustee for Safeguarding, can be called if immediate discussion or advice on a clinical matter is required. Evaluation and Impact - measuring our 6ff8ctiveness Since the start of the service in 2010, Blue Smile has supported over 1700 children Ihrough one to one therapy. 500 children Ihrough psychoeducational groups and a further 1000 children through assemblies and awareness raising workshops. The support we offer to children also encompasse5 SUPPOrt for parents and carers and we also support whole school communities to better understand and deal with mental health challenges. Our evaluation shows Blue Smile's early intervention and prevention model to be highly effective. The fact that seTvices are delivered in consultation wilh and in schools mean they are readily accessible even to families who may olheNise find il difficult to transport their children to SèTvlc6s outside school and outside school hours. While we have seen a decrease in the average number of problems and symptoms this year, complex cases still make up 590/0 of the caseload and children are presenting with an average of 2.4 problems {such as famiSy breakdown, bereavement or parental mental ill health) and 3.8 symptoms {su¢h as anxietylpanic attacks. low s6lf-esteemlidentily problems and low moodldepression). 18 /0 of referrals record parentallfamily mental illnes5, as compared to 27D/o in 22123 and 22 % the previous year. Domestic abuse reporting remains at around 21 % of referrals which is down from the spike that was seen immediately after the pandemic. 17 % of children referred had social care involv8ment. 180/0 of children had at least 4 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). Having multiple ACES has been identified as a major risk factor for sèrious illness, such a5 heart disease and cancer, and emotional and social problems later in adult life. We have a robusl system of outcome measures in place for our services, using a variety of bespoke and slandardised measures. We consider measurement of these outcomes to be a core part of clinical decision- making and ensuring that our work is effective. We use two core measures to evaluate our one-to-one therapy.. Our SDQ progress and clinical recovery rat8s show that children's emotional functioning is significantly improved with Blue Smile's early support, which can prevent more serious difficulties later on in life and improve long-term life prospects. Okjr goals based BSAM outcomes demonstrates that supporting children's emotional wellbeing reduces behavioural difficulties and emotional blocks related to learning. Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees, annual report (continued) Year ended 31 July 2024 On the BSAM, 90P/D of children felt they had made progress on the goals they had set by the end of therapy and 87ty/0 of parenls said their children had made progress on those goals. In additional 900/0 of teachers said that their pupil's problems identified had improved by lh8 8nd of therapy. As regards the SDQ, 65 /0 of parenls felt that their child had improved by the end of therapy. Of the parents of children who started in the clinically diagnosable range, 69/0 considered their child to have made noticeable improvement by the end of therapy, with 36•/. having made a full recovery. In addition, 48V/o of children improved school attendance. And 321J/o of the children performing below the national curriculum level improved their performance In at least one or more main areas of study {reading, writing, and maths) to be in line with the curriculum expectations. Blue Smile collects data on children's willingness to engage in school life such as classroom activities and extracurricular clubs. For children who inilially scored low (a score 5 or less out of 10). teachers reporled 72°/o showed increased willingness to engage following therapy. All of our psychoeducatlonal groups are evaluated using robust measures appropriate to the specific group and show positive impacts including on children's ability to deploy coping strategies. For example, following participation in 'Worry Warriors,, 87 /0 of Ihe children reported improved ability to use appropriate strategies to tackle Ihelr worries We use the feedback and evaluation to refine the groupwork offer., for example, in 24125 we decided to deliver'survive and Thrive. groups for year 7 pupils separately for boys and girls. We collect feedback directly from children- Here is some of the feedback we received Ihis year. Feedback on ono-towone work 'You should definitely go. It helps you leam and calm down. Theyre rg8lly kind and I know that if you're sad about somathing th8yII halp you ba happy again. Feedback on groups 'The group helped me to calm down. (On what helped) ?alking about problems and thinking of solutions I never thought about" It is aMa￿ng. Don't change. °It helps you relax with your worries. 'It is really fvn and I wish I could keep going.. Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report (Continue Year ended 31 July 2024 Financial review Ensurlng financial sustainability The financial year ending July 2024 resulted in a surplus of £21,672 12023- deficit of £569) against a budgeted deficit of £30,281. Overall income was £551,943 compared to £469,766 in 2023 of which voluntary income increased from £279,253 in 2023 to £382,635. As a result of this surplus the net assets of the charity increased to £422.218. The cash balance remained relatively stable increasing from £400,963 to £431,449 as at 31 July 2024. Deblors and creditors fell by similar levels over the year as shown in the balance sheet to these accounts. Over the year, we have been extremely fortunate to have been supported by some very generous partners. These cover trusls and funds, community fundraising efforts, corporales and individual donors, many of whom give on a regular basis. We are extremely grateful to them all. Overall Income Income from donations, grants, fundraising events and bank interest amounted to £389,921. Service fee income amounted to £162,022. Reserves policy: Blue Smile conlinues to emphasise prudent managemenl of its reseNes and long-temi financial planning. The trustees reviewed and updated the r8serves policy a few years ago, the actual 18vel of reserves compared lo this policy is reviewed on a regular basis. In setting and reviewing Blue Smile's Reserves Policy, the Board lakes into account the charity's commitment to working long-term with children (the aim Is an average of two school terms}, as well as the annual Service Level Agreements with schools. Having assessed potential threats and risks, the Trustees have agreed the need to maintain sufficient income reserves to- protect the conlinltity of the charity's work allow for fluctuations in fundraising income cover unexpected expenditure and contingencies fund the costs of growth and transformation enable the charity to wind up in an orderly and ethical fashion should il become no longer viable for the charity lo continue. The trustees consider the optimal amount for reserves is 6 months, running costs. This equates, on the basis of the budget agreed by trustees for the 24125 year, to £324,000. As at 31 July 2024 total reserves held were £422,218 of which £10,615 was restricted as detailed in the notes to the accounts. The remaining £411.603 (2023: £378.638) is unrestricted and considered to be 'free r6s6rve' in line with the Charity Commission guidance. Trustees have carefully considered the way in which reserves above this level Gan be strategically invested to support the future development of Blue Smile. 10- Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report (continued) Year ended 31 July 2024 Financlal review (continued) In April 2023, we made the decision to increase therapist fees to more fairly reflect the training, skills and experience of our workforce. This will be an a(idilional expense of £60,000 towards our Partner School service alone. At the same time, we decided not to increase the conlribulion wè seek from schools. in recognition of the pressures on school finances. In addition, we designated additional funds, of £10,000 beyond our usual level, to further subsidise our work at Partner Schools seNing particularly disadvantaged areas. We also designated £10,000 of funding for laptops, recognising additional IT equipment needed now that all clinical data is recorded online following the rollout of our clinical record management system Icharilylog). Reserves, and income and expenditure, are monitored closely by the Rernuneration and Finance subcommittee and Board. Deslgnated funds With respect to designated funds. the charity designated £10.000 towards hardware to support the cloud- based data system project and £25,000 towards the provision of a Partner School service in a new school. In 202312024 the charity further designated £13,000 towards Ihe provision of a Partner School service in a new school, bringing the total arnount designated for this purpose to £38,000. These costs remain unexpansed at the year end. Investment Policy: Cash balances are held in current and deposit bank accounts wlth the Charity's bankers Plans for future periods We plan to Continue our new 20-week model for one-to-one therapy, following the evidence that more sessions than this do not yield belter resulls for children. This will help us d81iver good outcomes for more children. We also plan lo build on our successful expansion ol groupwork and our new 'Worry Warriors, pilot which had excellent feedback and positive evaluation results. Groupwork is an excellent model for early intervention and for helping children build resilience. In the coming year we will explore geographical expansion and ways in which we can reach children particularly in more deprived areas or from families facing more challenges than the average. Having done thorough research into digital models, we have concluded that in person delivery of the intensive one-to-one support we offer to young children cannot be readily replaced by any of the digitsl mode15 currently on the market. Many of these models are airned al less severe problems or situations. are aimed at older childrenlieenagers or involve high levels of parental engagement. We will continue to look at best ways to build Dn our digitisation of data and at digital models for supporting our work and making il more efficient in terms of delivery. Blue Smile continues to be active in The Fullscope Project, a consorbum of seven leading organisation5 that support the mental wellbeing of children andlor young people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Fullscope has a 3-ye8r programme thal aims to affecl a more accessible, relevant and equitable system to support children and young people with their mental wellbeing. The participating organisations are Blue Smile, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination, Centre 33, CPSL Mind, The Kite Trust, Ormiston Families and YMCA Trinity. 11 Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report (Gontinued) Year ended 31 July 2024 Stru¢ture, governance and management Governing documentation: Blue Smile is the working name of Blue Smile Project. It is a company limited by guarantee with no share capital. It was incorporated on 18 October 2010 under company registration number 7411348 and is governed by its Mernorandum and Articles of Association. 11 was registered as a charity on 8 December 2010 under charity number 1139279. Its principal office and registered office is at 47-51 Norfolk St. Cambridge. CB12LD. Patron: Our Patron is Professor Sir Simon Baron-cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and Direclor of the Autism Research Centre. Our Charity Director is Dr Anne Kenl-Taylor. Bankers and Advisers: Independent examiner L Thurston FCCA, Lovewell Blake. LLP, Chartered accountants. First Floor. Suite 2, Hillside Business Park, Bury St Edmunds, IP32 7EA Bankers The Co-operative Bank Plc, PO Box 250, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT The Charity Bank Limited, Fosse House. 182 High Street, Tonbridge, TN9 18E Website www.bluesmile.org.uk Trustees The Irustees bring a variety of experience and skills. They meet bi-monlhly and more often where necessary. The trustees oversee the work of the Charity Dlreclor. make major decisions, approve policy, review risks and determine strategy. The Trustees delegate day-to4ay management of the charity to the Charity Director. No trusteé is an employee of the company nor ha5 any beneficial interest. but each is a member as well as a Director ol the company and guarantees to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up. Recrultment and appolntment of trustees: Trustees are recruiled for their skllls and experience and generally following advert15ement. They are appointed by the Board in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association and in accordance with 'safer recruilmenl, practices. There must be at least three and not more than nine Trustees. Trusl88s musl, according to Ihe Articles of Associalion, relire afler 5 years. service and may not be reappointed more Ihan once. Trustees may be appointed again after they have served ten years but only with a 12-month break. 12- Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. annual report (continue Year ended 31 July 2024 Structure, governance and management fcontinued} Trustee induction and training: New Trustees meet the Charity Direclor. Clinical Services Manag8r and olh8r offic8 staff. They are given an induction pack, including the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the current strategy, the most recent full accounts and Annual Review plus recent management accounts. Trustee meeting minutes from previous meetings as well as reports from advisory groups and sub-committees are also available to them. Those new to the ro18 of Trustee are recommended to obtain and read the 'Good Ttust88 Guid&, from the Natlonal Council for Voluntsry Organisations. Tralning is available to trustees. The Board abides by the principles underlying the ACEVO Code of Good Govefnance. For Ihe 2023124 year the Trustees were: Naomi Mallick - Chair of Trustees Angela McKeown- Interim Trustee Safeguarding Lead (from 15 January 20241 Sarah Nolasco Chris O'connor- Treasurer Carrie-Ann Black- Truslee Safeguarding Lead {r8signed 15 January 2024) Nick Froy Hannah Buxton {resigned 11 September 2024) We have a Clinical, Ethics and Safeguarding Group ICEG), chaired by the Trustee Safeguarding Lead, Carri&Ann Black till 15 Jan 2024 thereafter Angela McKeown. This group includes volunteer members as well as the Safeguarding Trustee and staff members. It advises the Board on matters within its remit. We also have a Remuneration and Finance Committee (Remcom), chaired by the Treasurer Chris O'connor. Remcom comprises the Treasurer, the Chair of Trustees and the Charity Director and in 23124 was also attended by Louise Buckingham, who provided finance and bookkeeping services on a consultancy basis. Remcom advises the Board on remuneration and finance rnatters and may also make decisions as delegated by the Board. Both CEG and Remcom report to the Board. Senlor staff reporting to the Director in the reporting year were Rosi Jack. Fundraising Manager, Anita Gatt, Clinical Services Manager, Vicki Osborne, Operations Manager and Amna Hamza, Data and Evaluation Lead. 13 Blue Smile Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees, annual report (continued) Year ended 31 July 2024 structure. governance and management (continuedj Risk Assessment: The Trustees operate a formal risk management process. Trustees and Charity Director together identify and record key risks, their probability, impact and mitigating actions. Risks are reviewed by Board committees and at full Board. Risk Management was overseen by Sarah Nolasco. with CEG and Remcom reporting to the Board on the risks relevant to their remit. Key areas of polenlial risk to Board identified lo keep under revlew In 202415 are:. Income- Failure to raise sufficient fundraised income. Capacity to deliver.. Poor recruitment, retention, training and supervision of clinical teams limits ability lo meet demand for services from schools. Loss of school support- Schools are unable or unwilling to work with Blue Smile. Key measures put in place to manage each of these risks are: Fundraising targets sel and monitored. Concenlrate on areas of highest ROI. Balance resources be￿een fundraising and comms. Develop strong links with donor sources. Focus on diversifying incomè streams to include individual donors and legacies. Assess impact of competing charities. Review contribution from schools. Undertake due diligence on funders. Ensure appropriate clinical measures in place. Maintain relationships with Faculty of Education. Build relationships with other training organisations. Clear role descriptions for clinical roles. Impl8ment changes in delivery of services. Review remuneralion and support package. Establish Blue Smile bursaries. Set up of group m¢)del to support more children with reduction in 1..1 seNice model. Review qualifications and where they sil to support different types of work. Consider the impact of competing charities and organisations. Initial assessment of schools. Annual SLAS with termination procedures. Annual review of cost to schools of Se￿iCe$. Maintain good relationships with Headslchairs of Governors. Maintain state school experience on Board. Ensure ongoing delivery of outreach 1=1, groupwork and menu of services which ensures more schools are able to benefit from service and minimises reliance on Partner Schools. Practice standards and ethical framework. Feedback and evaluation processes. Complaints and concems policy and procedure. Review and adapted Partner School model for individual schools. Independent examiner reappointment A resolution to appoint L Thurston FCCA of Lovewell Blake LLP as independent examiner will be proposed at the next meeting. 14- Blue Smlle Project Company Umlted by Guarnntee Yw ond￿ 31 July 2 8 th